Doctors warn swine flu panic may be worse than the illness itself

SPOKANE, Wash. - More than 6,000 doses of the vaccine designed to prevent H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, are expected in the Inland Northwest next week.>>

SPOKANE, Wash. - More than 6,000 doses of the vaccine designed to prevent H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, are expected in the Inland Northwest next week.>>

WASHINGTON. - The swine flu is causing a lot of people to panic and some doctors say hysteria about the flu might be worse than the illness itself.

Dr. Richard Honaker, a family practice physician is getting lots of calls from parents worried their children may have the H1N1 virus swine flu.

"Parents are worried that their particular child will be the one that dies and they need to understand the death rate is very low for this flu bug, just about the same as the regular flu," he says.

Honaker says doctors want to limit the spread of the virus, and one way to do that is for patients to stay home to avoid infecting anyone else.

"Because there is so much flu going around, patients are coming in and bringing their sick kids, and all that does is keep this epidemic going," Honaker explains. "That's how they're making the epidemic worse."

Still, parents say it's hard to sit home and wait it out.

"You just don't know; you don't know if your child is that one that might have complications and may end up having to be hospitalized or something else," says Debra Fitzhugh, whose 7-year-old daughter has already had swine flu.

At the first sign of symptoms, they called her pediatrician, who told them not to come in.

She chose to go see another doctor.

"It was a little scary and a little unsettling," she said. "I wanted to have the option of bringing her in and having her tested to see if in fact she did have that, and I wasn't comfortable just keeping her home not knowing."

BREWSTER, Wash. - Deputies and officers in Okanogan County are investigating after a shooting Sunday morning. Okanogan County Sheriff's deputies and officers from the Brewster police Department responded to a call at 502 North Star Road in Brewster for a report of a 19-year-old man with a gun.

BREWSTER, Wash. - Deputies and officers in Okanogan County are investigating after a shooting Sunday morning. Okanogan County Sheriff's deputies and officers from the Brewster police Department responded to a call at 502 North Star Road in Brewster for a report of a 19-year-old man with a gun.

LOS ANGELES - Jim Carrey is being criticized on social media for a portrait he painted that is believed to be White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.The actor and comedian on Saturday tweeted the painting with the caption: "This is the portrait of a so-called Christian whose only purpose in life is to lie for the wicked. Monstrous!"

LOS ANGELES - Jim Carrey is being criticized on social media for a portrait he painted that is believed to be White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.The actor and comedian on Saturday tweeted the painting with the caption: "This is the portrait of a so-called Christian whose only purpose in life is to lie for the wicked. Monstrous!"

GRANT COUNTY, Wash. - Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones says a deputy who plead guilty to reckless endangerment after accidentally shooting his wife last August is back on duty. The Franklin County Prosecutor initially filed felony charges against Deputy Jose Rivera following the shooting, which injured his wife. Those charges were later amended to a gross misdemeanor of reckless endangerment.

GRANT COUNTY, Wash. - Grant County Sheriff Tom Jones says a deputy who plead guilty to reckless endangerment after accidentally shooting his wife last August is back on duty. The Franklin County Prosecutor initially filed felony charges against Deputy Jose Rivera following the shooting, which injured his wife. Those charges were later amended to a gross misdemeanor of reckless endangerment.

The Spokane Fire Department is still looking into the cause of a fire Monday.

Authorities in Mississippi say a 9-year-old boy has shot his 13-year-old sister in the head and wounded her after an argument over a video game controller. Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell told local news outlets that the girl wouldn't give up the video game controller when her brother wanted it on Saturday. He says the boy shot the girl in the back of the head and that the bullet entered her brain.

Authorities in Mississippi say a 9-year-old boy has shot his 13-year-old sister in the head and wounded her after an argument over a video game controller. Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell told local news outlets that the girl wouldn't give up the video game controller when her brother wanted it on Saturday. He says the boy shot the girl in the back of the head and that the bullet entered her brain.

ABERDEEN, Miss. - A Mississippi girl has died after her brother allegedly shot her in the head because she wouldn't hand over the controller of a video game. WCBI-TV reported Sunday that Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell says the girl is dead. Cantrell told local news outlets that the 9-year-old boy shot his 13-year-old sister in the back of the head. She was rushed to Le Bonheur's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, but didn't survive.

ABERDEEN, Miss. - A Mississippi girl has died after her brother allegedly shot her in the head because she wouldn't hand over the controller of a video game. WCBI-TV reported Sunday that Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell says the girl is dead. Cantrell told local news outlets that the 9-year-old boy shot his 13-year-old sister in the back of the head. She was rushed to Le Bonheur's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, but didn't survive.

KHQ.COM - Pull out your calendar and mark out April 2 as "Free Lunch!" After #16 University of Maryland-Baltimore County knocked off #1 Virginia, Little Caesars is making good on their promise to give everyone a free lunch. The pizza chain is going to be providing a free, $5-dollar lunch box on Monday, April 2nd, between 11:30 am and 1 pm local time.

KHQ.COM - Pull out your calendar and mark out April 2 as "Free Lunch!" After #16 University of Maryland-Baltimore County knocked off #1 Virginia, Little Caesars is making good on their promise to give everyone a free lunch. The pizza chain is going to be providing a free, $5-dollar lunch box on Monday, April 2nd, between 11:30 am and 1 pm local time. You can click here for the details.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Beginning Monday, everybody six months of age and older wishing to receive the H1N1 vaccine will be eligible for it.>>

SPOKANE, Wash. - Beginning Monday, everybody six months of age and older wishing to receive the H1N1 vaccine will be eligible for it. The SRHD anticipates a high demand for the vaccine once it is made available to the general public. Initially, the Health District does not expect to have a sufficient supply. Eventually, the SRHD believes there will be enough H1N1 vaccine for everyone who wants it.>>

WASHINGTON. - The Centers for Disease Control has released new estimates on just how widespread and deadly the H1N1 flu has been for Americans.>>

WASHINGTON. - The Centers for Disease Control has released new estimates on just how widespread and deadly the H1N1 flu has been for Americans. Chances are, someone you know has been infected with the swine flu this year. The CDC now estimates 1 in 6 Americans, that's nearly 50-million people have been sickened and the data continues to show that this is a largely a young person's disease.>>

WASHINGTON. - U.S. health experts say it appears the number of cases for this wave of the H1N1 swine flu outbreak has peaked.>>

WASHINGTON. - U.S. health experts say it appears the number of cases for this wave of the H1N1 swine flu outbreak has peaked. "We're going from a time where there was a lot of disease and not a lot of vaccine, to a time when the disease is decreasing," said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden with the Centers for Disease Control. Still, the CDC says the virus still poses a threat with widespread cases in 32 states and deaths still being reported.>>

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. - Tuesday, the Spokane Regional Health District was notified of the eighth death of a county resident linked to H1N1.>>

SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. - Tuesday, the Spokane Regional Health District was notified of the eighth death of a county resident linked to H1N1. The man, in his 70s, had underlying medical conditions and died Monday at an area hospital. The Health District has several upcoming public vaccination clinics. INSIDE>> Clinic Schedule>>

SPOKANE, Wash. - New numbers show the H1N1 illness remains at high levels in our region.>>

SPOKANE, Wash. - New numbers show the H1N1 illness remains at high levels in our region. Even though the number of H1N1 flu cases appears to be decreasing, the SRHD warns that a potential resurgence of the virus could happen at any time. The holiday season presents plenty of opportunity for the spread of viruses such as H1N1. The Health District does not know how H1N1 will continue to affect our community and the best defense now is to get vaccinated if you are in a priority group.>>

WASHINGTON. - The Better Business Bureau is warning you to be wary of "flu prevention kits" and other similar products being marketed online.>>

WASHINGTON. - The Better Business Bureau is warning you to be wary of "flu prevention kits" and other similar products being marketed online. The Food and Drug Administration has compiled a list of more than 100 H1N1 products available online that lead consumers to believe they're getting something they're not. INSIDE>>List of fraudulent H1N1 products>>